Aurora Fashions in iPad fashion first

British High Street fashion group offers enhanced customer experience by mobilising transactional websites instore

Customers of Coast, Oasis, Warehouse and Karen Millen can now buy clothes instore using fashion retail’s first iPad-enabled point of sale (PoS) system, supplied by BT Expedite, BT’s specialist retail division.

The new system is designed to offer an enhanced customer experience across channels by enabling sales associates to quickly and easily access the brands’ websites anywhere in the store, check product availability across the UK and place online orders where the right stock is not immediately available. The iPad-enabled PoS is also aimed at shortening queue times and making the payment process mobile, simpler and more engaging.

It is being piloted in eight Aurora Fashions stores for the Coast, Oasis, Warehouse and Karen Millen brands in London and Oxford.

Getting staff out from behind till 

Store managers can improve sales of clothing and accessories by using the iPads for assisted selling, accessing in-depth and up-to-date stock information, while freeing up associates to help customers with styling advice and suggestions on additional products away from the traditional cash desk environment.

Ish Patel, group strategic development director at Aurora Fashions, said: “This really is the next step in defining the customer journey of the future and giving our customers an enhanced, more engaging experience enabled by mobile technology. The iPad PoS is part of Aurora’s commitment to be at the forefront of multichannel retailing and this initiative starts to merge digital commerce with physical retailing to create a seamless experience.”

Brian Hume, Martec International managing director, said: “Martec IT in Retail Research 2011-12 conducted with BT showed that consumers want the same brand experience across all channels. To my knowledge, this collaboration between Aurora Fashions and BT to trial mobile PoS transactions using iPads is a first for UK retail and is a very exciting development.”

Charleen Benson, director of store consulting wervices at BT Expedite, added: “The insights we gain here will help shape the future of fashion shopping.”

Aurora Fashions and BT Expedite have been collaborating over the fashion group's online and multichannel strategy for some years now, most recently launching global and mobile-optimised online shopping sites.